Part 6/9:
The Civil War (1983-2009)
The war officially began with the July 1983 riots, known as the Black July, following the deaths of several Sinhalese soldiers in an ambush orchestrated by the LTTE. The violent backlash saw mobs attacking Tamil properties and resulted in a mass exodus of Tamils from the south, creating a humanitarian crisis.
As the war escalated, the conflict drew in various international actors, including India, which initially remained on the sidelines but eventually intervened due to growing concerns about the instability in Sri Lanka. India’s involvement shifted the dynamics significantly, leading to the establishment of a Peacekeeping Force in 1987, though this intervention was not welcomed by many Tamils or Sinhalese.